Chapter 99: The Gears of Fate
Qi Tian and Zhu Zhuqing had already returned to their usual place, continuing their relentless daily cultivation.
However, aside from his own training, Qi Tian would also possess Ah Yin's body to cultivate through her.
While only a few months had passed on his side, two full years had gone by for Ah Yin. Her cultivation had finally reached Rank 61.
Ah Yin had officially entered her mature stage; no one could see through her true identity anymore, and she could now cultivate just like a human soul master.
On this particular day, Qi Tian once again possessed Ah Yin.
Outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, several wooden houses had been built on the mountainside. They were the home of Ah Yin and her three disciples.
All three had been young girls rescued by Ah Yin in the Sunset Forest.
Her first disciple, Bai Yan, possessed the mutated Blue Silver Grass martial soul.
Her second disciple, Qingqing, had the Sky Blue Vine martial soul. Her third disciple, Yan'er, possessed the Illusion Poison Flower martial soul.
"Ah Yin, now that you've entered your mature stage, you can cultivate even without staying near humans."
"These disciples of yours… You should send them down the mountain. Let them enter a soul master academy for further training."
"All right, I'll listen to you."
Ah Yin had long since grown used to following Qi Tian's guidance—almost like a devoted wife yielding to her husband.
At dawn, Qi Tian knocked on the doors of the three nearby rooms, and the three girls walked out.
At that moment, Qi Tian suddenly noticed that Bai Yan's hair—formerly long and black—had turned completely blue.
Not only that, her originally ordinary appearance had become noticeably more beautiful, enough to make her a charming young lady.
A bad premonition rose in Qi Tian's heart because he had experienced something similar before.
This was a sign of a second martial soul awakening. However, because of the suppression of his body martial soul, his hair had reverted to its original color afterward.
"Ah Yin… why did Bai Yan's hair change color?" Qi Tian asked nervously.
"Oh, her?"
"Although Bai Yan's martial soul is a mutated Blue Silver Grass, her cultivation talent was still too poor, so I helped her awaken the Blue Silver King martial soul!"
"With that, she should be able to graduate smoothly from a mid-level soul master academy."
Ah Yin explained.
She was simply too kindhearted. Unable to bear seeing Bai Yan struggle, she had used the aura of the Blue Silver Emperor to help Bai Yan awaken the Blue Silver King martial soul.
"Ah Yin, that was too reckless. If someone discovers the secret of the Blue Silver Grass's second awakening and traces it back to you, what then?"
Ah Yin replied, "Impossible. On the entire Douluo Continent, only I and the Blue Silver King know the secret of the Blue Silver Grass martial soul."
"If neither of us speaks, no one will ever know."
"Qi Tian, you're just overthinking. Rest well and save your soul power."
"I don't want to reach godhood one day only to find myself unable to save you!"
Perhaps because she had shared part of her aura with Bai Yan, the girl's appearance now bore a faint resemblance to Ah Yin.
But even that small resemblance was enough to elevate her into a truly lovely beauty.
Qi Tian sighed. After giving the three girls instructions, he sent them down the mountain.
---
Along the official road, two middle-aged men of average appearance strode confidently toward Heaven Dou City.
"Big brother, I didn't expect that after our trip to Devil Island, you'd advance to Soul Douluo so quickly."
"Second brother, your cultivation isn't far behind. You'll catch up soon enough."
"Big brother… should we return to the sect now?"
The older of the two nodded. "Of course. We've been out training for several years already."
"And considering our age, it's about time we get married and start families."
The man in gray robes shook his head. "Father will definitely arrange marriages for us from the four subsidiary clans. I don't want that!"
"The women from the Tai Clan and the Niu Clan are all big and rough—not pretty at all. The direct daughters of the Bai Clan share blood ties with us, so they're unsuitable."
"As for the Yang Clan, all of them cultivate the Soul Breaking Spear. They look gloomy and sinister, not the kind of people you'd feel comfortable living with."
In short, he looked down on all four subsidiary clans' women.
The other man nodded earnestly. "Second Brother, your name carries the honor of the Clear Sky lineage."
"Expanding the sect through marriage alliances with the four clans should fall to you. As for me, I'll reluctantly settle for marrying an ordinary woman."
Just then, he noticed his younger brother staring blankly toward the west.
He followed his gaze—and saw three young girls walking their way from the direction of Sunset Forest.
All three were quite attractive: one was seductive like a poisonous flower; one was pure and naturally beautiful.
And the last one—gentle, delicate, ethereally pretty—with long blue hair that enhanced her beauty even further.
Both middle-aged men were instantly stunned. The blue-haired girl seemed tailor-made for their tastes.
"Big Brother… I think it's time I started a family. You're stronger anyway. The sect should be inherited by you!"
After saying this, the younger man quietly followed behind the three girls, trying to find a chance to approach them.
"I think our father is still young. He can continue shining for the sect. Let's keep traveling and tempering ourselves!"
With that, the elder brother also followed his younger sibling.
Qi Tian had no idea that the "tool-person" disciple he had just sent down the mountain had become the love-at-first-sight target of two members of the Clear Sky Sect.
Had he known, he would sooner keep Bai Yan by his side forever than let her descend the mountain.
"Ah Yin, will you continue cultivating here, or will you return to the Blue Silver Forest?"
"I'll return to the Blue Silver Forest. I haven't seen my people in so long."
Now that she was in human form, cultivating in an environment like the Blue Silver Forest would be even faster than here.
---
A few years later—
Tang Hao brought the woman he had secretly pledged himself to, intending to return to the sect to visit his elders.
While passing through Nuoding City, he encountered a particularly interesting man.
This man called himself "Grandmaster," an expert in martial soul theory, yet he hid away at a humble junior soul master academy.
Overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing his idol Tang Hao, the Grandmaster nearly trembled.
'If my martial soul hadn't been defective, the one famed across the continent should have been me, not Tang Hao!'
'In terms of martial souls, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's beast martial soul is no worse than the Clear Sky Sect's weapon martial soul.'
'In terms of talent, I, Yu Xiaogang, am not inferior to anyone!'
When he looked at Tang Hao, it felt like he was seeing another version of himself—one without a mutated, crippled martial soul.
"Grandmaster, since you've studied martial souls so deeply, I suspect you cannot guess what my beloved's martial soul is," Tang Hao said with a mysterious smile.
"Oh? Then let Madam show it to me!" the Grandmaster replied confidently.
Bai Yan gave Tang Hao a gentle look, then released her martial soul.
It was a stalk of Blue Silver Grass—thick-stemmed with broad leaves, but across its leaves ran numerous silver vein patterns.
Below it, four soul rings pulsed rhythmically.
"Blue Silver Grass? Four-ring Soul Ancestor? Impossible!" The Grandmaster stared at her in utter disbelief.
He clearly remembered that the Blue Silver Grass martial soul typically started with only 0.5 innate soul power, destined to become stuck at a bottleneck—just like him.
But the martial soul before him was still Blue Silver Grass… So, how had she broken through Rank 40?
He was completely shaken.
—
End of Chapter